Naruto: The King of Uzushiogakure
by Vanex
Summary: On the night of the Kyubi attack, Minato comes up with an insidious plan to use his son Naruto as a weapon for Konoha, and dies knowing Hiruzen will carry out the plan. However, he never expected for Kushina to return to Konoha. It doesn't take her long to find out Naruto is alive. Slight Naruto/Guilty Crown Crossover. Evil Konoha. Main Pairings: NarutoxMito*Sister* & KushinaxOC.
1. Prologue

**Vanex: _Hello all! Okay, I recently watched Guilty Crown and I enjoyed it. It was only a matter of time before I came up with a fanfic that had some connection to it. Enjoy!_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise or Guilty Crown, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.**

"Normal Talking"

"_Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"_

"**Tailed Beast Talking"**

"_**Tailed Beast Thinking"**_

*Scene Change*

**Prologue**

Minato Namikaze knows he doesn't have much time as he writes his final letter to Hiruzen Sarutobi. A masked man attacked Konoha and ripped the Kyubi from his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. Minato was successful in freeing the Kyubi no Yoko from the man's control and drove the man away from Konoha. However, the Kyubi is still on a rampage in Konoha and Minato is writing down the full details of his plan.

He knows that Kushina will want to pull the Kyubi back into her, which would cause both her and the Fox to die. Minato will not allow that. The Fox is too valuable a resource for Konoha. His plan is to seal the Kyubi into his son, Naruto. Except, his plans for Naruto are far more sinister than that. It will be up to Hiruzen to see that the plan plays out.

*Scene Change*

Some time later, the Fox is sealed inside Naruto. However, Hiruzen is stunned at what he finds when he arrives on the scene. After reading the note, however, it all makes sense. Hiruzen nods to himself at the genius of Minato's plan. _'Very well, Minato. I will see this through for the sake of Konoha. Naruto will be the weapon we need to ensure that Konoha is the most powerful ninja village in the world.'_ He looks up when he hears a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opens and in comes Kushina carrying Naruto's twin sister, Mito. "Where is he, Hiruzen? Where is Naruto?"

Hiruzen shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Kushina. Naruto died during the sealing process, taking the Kyubi with him. There wasn't even a body left."

Kushina's eyes widen in horror. "No!" Tears start pouring out. "No!" She backs up against the wall, crying out for her lost child.

"I'm sorry, Kushina. At least you still have Mito."

Kushina nods, looking at the sleeping infant in her arms. She then looks back up at Hiruzen. "I'm leaving Konoha."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

Kushina nods. "Yes. I can't stay here. The memories of Minato and Naruto are too painful. Maybe I'll come back one day. But for now, I have to go."

Hiruzen nods. "Where will you go?"

Kushina shrugs. "I don't know, yet." She turns and leaves the room.

Hiruzen smirks. _'Excellent. Minato was right. Hearing Naruto was dead was enough to get her to leave. With her out of the way, nothing can stop me from turning Naruto into the weapon we need.'_ He walks over to a wall and presses a hidden panel. A door slides open, revealing a chamber with two cribs. Hiruzen walks over to the cribs and grins as he looks in both of them. _'If what Minato said is true, Naruto holds a great power within him, besides the Kyubi. The power that comes from being the Prince of Uzushio. The Power of Kings. As long as Naruto is like this, he can't access that power. Once he is fully obedient to me and Konoha, the power will be returned to him. With the power of the Kyubi no Yoko, plus the Power of Kings, Naruto will destroy all our enemies!'_

Hiruzen turns and leaves the chamber. Inside the two cribs are two identical male infants. Both open their eyes. The first infant's eyes are normal, blue eyes. However, the second infant's eyes are different. His eyes have a black sclera and red irises.

**Vanex: _Well, I'm sure you all are intrigued by this one. What will happen to the two Narutos? And will Kushina ever learn the truth about her son? Go read chapter 1 to find out, as I released it at the same time as the prologue._**


	2. Chapter 1

**Vanex: _Hello all! Before I'm asked, Kurama was also split. Each Naruto has half of Kurama within him. Also, this story's version of Naruto's sister, Mito, looks identical to Naruto, except for the fact that she's a girl and she has Kushina's eyes. Now then, let's get to chapter 1!_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise or Guilty Crown, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.**

"Normal Talking"

"_Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"_

"**Tailed Beast Talking"**

"_**Tailed Beast Thinking"**_

*Scene Change*

**Chapter 1**

Hiruzen smirks as he looks in his crystal ball at Naruto, being his usual idiotic, naïve self. _'This plan has gone better than I thought. This Naruto is pretty much under my thumb. He'll soon be ready.'_ The image in the ball shifts to an underground training area. It focuses on the second Naruto, training in a jumpsuit identical to his other self, except it's pure black. _'If only we could reign in his dark half. He despises us for what we did to him and his other half. I still wonder how he found out about being split into two people.'_

*Scene Change*

The dark Naruto growls as he cuts down two training drones. It helps him to imagine the faces of the people of Konoha, especially the Hokage. When he was split into two, so was the Kyubi. Unknown to the Hokage, the two halves of the Kyubi have a psychic link to each other. Through the Kyubi, who's true name is Kurama, Dark Naruto learned about what had been done to him and it didn't take long for him to figure out why. His light half is unaware of what is really going on, as the Hokage has already pretty much brainwashed Light Naruto into believing what he wants him to believe. This is why the half of Kurama within Light Naruto doesn't really talk to him, as there is no point. Light Naruto believes that Kurama is evil. The only ones who can force Light Naruto to see the truth are the Hokage, Dark Naruto, their mother, or their twin sister.

Oh yes, Dark Naruto is fully aware that his mother and sister are alive. He doesn't despise them, as he knows they were tricked. It seems that the rumors of twins having a psychic link is true and both Narutos are linked to Mito. Light Naruto probably passes off the visions he sees in his sleep as mere dreams, but Dark Naruto is no fool. He can see snippets of Mito's life, being raised by their mother. He envies her, getting to live the life that he never got to have. But he knows that will all soon change at the upcoming Chunin Exams, if the latest visions he received from Mito are to be believed.

"**Is the plan set, Naruto?"** asks the half of Kurama within Dark Naruto.

He grins. _'Yes, Kurama. The escape plan is set. I will wait until the second part of the exams to escape to the surface. Then I will go find my other half and convince him to rejoin with me. Once whole, I should awaken the Power of Kings. With both that power, as well as yours, they won't be able to stop me from reuniting with my family. I will finally go home.'_

*Scene Change*

At the gates of Konoha, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane are doing their usual guard duty, like they do every single day. Izumo sighs. "Geez, I wish something exciting would happen around here."

Kotetsu nods. "I know. Being stuck here is boring as hell."

"Ahem."

Both chunin jump and look at the group of four in front of them. The group consists of three women and one man, all wearing headbands of Uzushio. They immediately recognize the jonin. No one could forget the Red-Hot Habanero. Kotetsu clears his throat. "Can we help you?"

Kushina nods. "Yes. My team is here to participate in the Chunin Exams."

Izumo nods. "Okay. All four of you must sign this and we'll let the Hokage know you've arrived."

The four nod and sign the register. They walk into Konoha. Izumo and Kotetsu watch them go. "Hey, Izumo. Did you notice that one girl? She looks a lot like Naruto!"

*Scene Change*

The light Naruto grins at the paper in his hand. His team is going to participate in the Chunin Exams! He is so excited that he isn't watching where he is going and bumps into someone, sending them both to the ground. Naruto quickly gets to his feet. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." He offers a hand to the blonde girl and she takes it. There is a spark that makes both of them freeze for a moment, before Naruto helps the girl up. He looks at the girl. She looks similar to how he looks when he uses his Sexy Technique, except she doesn't wear her hair in ponytails and she's wearing a ninja uniform. _'What the? This girl is the one from my dreams!'_

"It's okay," the girl says. "We were both distracted. I'm Mito. Who are you?"

Naruto grins. "I'm Naruto! It's nice to meet you!"

Mito smiles, but that smile fades as she takes a good look at Naruto. She's amazed at how similar they look, right down to the whisker marks on their cheeks. _'What the? This is one of the boys I've been seeing in my dreams!'_

"Mito! Are you okay?"

Mito turns to look at her teammates, who have caught up. "I'm fine, Karin." She looks back at Naruto. "Naruto, these are my teammates, Karin, who's my cousin, and Arashi, my half-brother. Karin, Arashi, this is Naruto. We accidentally bumped into each other."

Karin and Arashi both nod at Naruto. It's at this time that Kushina catches up to her team. The moment she sees Naruto, her eyes widen. _'It can't be.'_

Mito sees her mother. "Hey, Mom! This is Naruto. Naruto, meet my mother!"

Naruto grins. "It's nice to meet you."

The look on Kushina's face softens. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto." She walks up to him and crouches down so that's she's eye-level with him. "Look at you."

Everyone is confused at what Kushina's doing. "Are you okay, lady?"

Kushina nods. "I'm fine." She stands up again. "Anyway, my team is hungry. Do you know of a place they could eat?"

Naruto grins. "I sure do! Follow me to Ichiraku Ramen!"

The three Uzushio teammates start to follow him, when Mito notices that Kushina isn't following them. "Aren't you coming, Mom?"

"No. I need to pay a visit to the Hokage." An obviously false smile appears on her face, one that makes the four shiver in fear. "Let's just say it involves a personal matter from the last time I was here."

Kushina turns and walks away. Naruto looks at the Uzushio trio. "She's scary."

Mito nods. "I haven't seen her like this since that one guy insulted Dad."

*Scene Change*

Hiruzen is in his office, when a messenger bird from the gate arrives. Upon reading the note, his eyes widen in fear. _'Oh no! She's back! Calm down, Hiruzen. There's no way she could know Naruto's alive.'_

It's at that moment that the door to his office burst open and a pissed off Kushina enters. "It's been a long time, Hiruzen."

Hiruzen laughs nervously. "Kushina! What a surprise! I didn't think you'd come back!"

"Cut the bullshit, Hiruzen! Why did you lie to me about my son being dead?"

"What are you talking about, Kushina? Your son died twelve years ago."

"Then how the hell did I just see him a few minutes ago? You lied to me, Hiruzen!"

"It was for the good of the village."

"How was lying to me for the good of the village?"

Hiruzen smirks. "Try to figure it out. Why would I want to keep Naruto here?"

Kushina ponders. "Well, if he's here, then that means the sealing was successful and he's the new host of Kurama. But, it's not just that. There's something else. Well, he's my first-born son, which means he also inherited the..." She trails off, finally getting it. "You bastard!"

Hiruzen laughs. "You finally get it. The power of the Kyubi, combined with the Power of Kings will make Naruto the ultimate weapon of Konoha! All will bow to our might!"

Kushina growls. "I won't let you, you shriveled bastard! I'm taking Naruto with me!"

Hiruzen smirks again. "And why would he go with you? You are the mother who abandoned him here."

"That's because you tricked me!"

"Yes, but he doesn't know that. You see, the villagers know that Naruto contains the Fox and have treated him like he is the demon. It gave me the perfect opportunity to step into his life and convince him that I care about him. Over time, he has become more loyal to me and believes anything I tell him! All I have to do is tell him what a horrible woman you are and he'll reject you immediately! He'll believe whatever lie I cook up! Thus, he will not want to leave willingly. If you try to kidnap him, that will be an act of war and I don't think you have the resources to fight a war against Konoha."

Kushina growls.

"The only way for you to get Naruto to leave without starting a war would be to get him to resign willingly and like I said before, he'll listen to me before he listens to you."

"You bastard! I'll find a way!"

Hiruzen snorts. "Good luck with that."

"There is one other thing. Why hasn't he activated the Power of Kings? It should have kicked in the moment he turned five!"

"Sorry, but I won't tell you the answer to that one."

Kushina growls and turns to leave. "Naruto will not be staying in this village. He will be coming home with me. He will come to his true home."

"You don't get it, Kushina. He is in his true home, as my tool of conquest."

Kushina leaves the room in anger, but once she's outside, she pulls a tape recorder from her pocket. "I think a recording of our conversation will be enough to convince him. Don't you think so, Hiruzen?" She smirks as she shuts off the recorder.

*Scene Change*

At Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto is talking with the Uzushio trio. "And then Sakura punches the guy right in the-"

"Order up!"

Naruto and the others turn and start eating their ramen. Naruto looks at the trio. "You get the idea. So, you three are here for the Chunin Exams, right?"

Arashi nods. "That's right."

"I'll be in the exams, too! It'll be fun to see you there!"

Mito smiles, while blushing a little. "Yeah, it will be fun."

Karin sees the blush and leans over to Mito while smirking. "Someone's got a crush, doesn't she?" she whispers.

Mito elbows her. "Shut up!" she hisses.

Naruto notices a nearby clock. "It's been fun, but I have to go somewhere. See you at the exams!" He puts enough money to pay for all four of them before leaving."

Teuchi chuckles as he watches Naruto leave. "That Naruto Uzumaki, always full of energy." He hears a noise and turns to see that all three Uzushio ninja have dropped their utensils. "What's wrong with you three?"

Arashi glares at him. "What did you say his name was?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Who are his parents?"

"He doesn't have any. He's an orphan."

Mito is looking down. "When was he born?" She looks up at Teuchi, tears started to fall. "When was he born?"

Teuchi is startled by the tears, but he still answers. "He was born twelve years ago, on the 10th of October."

The eyes of all three of the Uzushio ninja widen and Mito quickly jumps out of the stand, looking around frantically for Naruto. "Naruto! Naruto!"

But it's too late. Naruto is long gone.

Arashi quickly jumps out of the stand, pulling Karin with him. "Come on, Mito! We need to go talk to Mom now!"

Mito nods and the three quickly leave. Ayame watches them go. "What was that about?"

Teuchi shrugs. "I have no idea."

*Scene Change*

Underneath Konoha, in the secret facility, Dark Naruto looks up, sensing his sister's distress. He smirks. "They know about him."

"**You knew they would cross paths with him."**

Naruto nods. _'Of course. My other half has a tendency to draw attention to himself, even though most of it is negative. By tomorrow, they should know about me, as Mom will most likely put the pieces together. Which means that during the exams, Mom will look for me. The escape plan depends on her finding me.'_

"**How will she find you?"**

Naruto grins. _'You should already know, Kurama. After all, you'll be playing the biggest part in getting Mom to find me!'_

**Vanex: _Well, things are getting interesting. Is Dark Naruto right? Will Kushina really figure out that her son has been split in two? Will Light Naruto realize the truth about the Hokage? Will the two Narutos be reunited? Geez, I'm sounding like an old TV show or something. Before I'm asked, the Karin on the Uzushio team is the one from canon. Kushina found her and brought her to Uzushio. See you all next time!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**Vanex: _Hello all! Okay, some of you have concerns about the OC that Kushina will be paired with. I'd like to take a moment to address those concerns._**

_**This OC is NOT a self-insertion of myself. In fact, most of my OC's are nothing like me. The only one you can even claim is like me is the second incarnation of the Maelstrom, right down to the dress sense. Yes, I have that gray sweater-jacket, though I'm obviously not wearing it. It's too warm for that.**_

_**He's not going to be some random weirdo. Give me some credit, people. If I'm going to pair Kushina with an OC, I'm going to make the OC be awesome.**_

_**Okay then, let's get to the chapter!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise or Guilty Crown, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.**

"Normal Talking"

"_Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"_

"**Tailed Beast Talking"**

"_**Tailed Beast Thinking"**_

*Scene Change*

**Chapter 2**

In the hotel room the Uzushio team is staying at, Kushina is pacing back and forth. Mito and the others watch her. "Mom, what are we going to do?"

"I'm thinking about that. Our best bet to getting Naruto will be just after the second exam is finished, unless they have to have a preliminary round for the third exam. In that case it will be after the prelims that we can get Naruto. But there's something that troubles me."

"What is it?" asks Arashi.

"It's the fact that he hasn't awakened his hidden power. That should have triggered when he was five. Hiruzen did something to him, but I just don't know what. Until I figure that out, it could be dangerous to take Naruto from here."

Mito sighs. "It's amazing to imagine that I've been having nightmares about my brother this whole time."

Kushina nods, remembering Mito telling her about her nightmares, but then she remembers something. "Wait a minute. Mito, didn't you tell me that you had dreams of two people?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Tell me about the second person. It's important."

Mito ponders. "Well, the second person kind of frightened me. He looked like Naruto, except his eyes were different. They were black and red. He was also wearing a black version of Naruto's jumpsuit. But what frightened me the most was this aura he seemed to give off. It was one of bitterness and hatred. Hatred towards Konoha. Every dream I had involving him included being beaten by people in ANBU uniforms, but the masks were weird. They pushed him through rigorous training, abusing him in whatever way they could."

Everyone is silent, looking at Mito in a sort of frightened awe. Kushina recovers and nods. "I think I now know what happened. But to be sure, I need Karin to answer me one question. I know you took a look at Naruto's chakra when you met him. What did you see?"

Karin nods. "It was bright. Brighter than any chakra I had seen before. It felt so warn and pure."

Kushina nods. "I thought so. The reason Naruto didn't activate the Power of Kings is because he's half a person."

The others stare at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" asks Arashi.

"I mean that somehow Naruto was split into two people. The Naruto we encountered earlier was only the good within Naruto. The innocence, the purity. The second Naruto that Mito is dreaming of is the evil of Naruto. The bitterness, the hatred. Another reason I believe this is from when we met the good Naruto. You see, as a former Jinchuriki, I know how painful the life that comes with that is. The good Naruto was too happy. Of course, he could be faking his joy, but there was no trace of sadness or anger in his eyes. It's because he can't feel those emotions. They're in his other half.

I think this was done to ensure that Naruto couldn't access the Power of Kings before he was completely under Hiruzen's thumb. From the description of the ANBU Mito gave me, I think the darker Naruto is being held within the Root facility. However, I don't know where the entrance is. While you three are at the exams tomorrow, I will be searching for the Root facility. You three must keep the good Naruto safe. Once I locate and recover the evil Naruto, we'll work on a way to fuse them back into one. Understood?"

The three nod.

"Good. In the meantime, I'm going to send a messenger bird to Shu, updating him about everything that's been happening."

**Vanex: _Quick note: This Shu is the OC mentioned in the summary. He is NOT Shu Ouma. Back to the story._**

*Scene Change*

Hiruzen looks up when he hears a knock at his door. "Come in."

The door opens and Danzo walks in. "You summoned me, Hiruzen?"

"Yes. Kushina has returned. She knows Naruto is alive, but not that he was split in two people. Have your Root make sure that Kushina never finds out about the other Naruto. Ensure that he stays locked up."

Danzo nods.

*Scene Change*

Tomorrow comes. Team 7 arrives at the door to the room for the first exam. Kakashi is waiting there for them. "So, Sakura came too. Now we can properly take the exam."

Sakura is confused. "What do you mean?"

"The truth is that this test can only be taken by teams of three."

"Huh? But you said that this test was an individual choice. You lied to us?"

"If I told the truth, Naruto or Sasuke would have pressured you to take the exam. Even if you didn't want to, if Sasuke asked you, you would, even though it wasn't in your heart. For the sake of Sasuke, and Naruto too."

"So, if only Sasuke-kun, and Naruto had shown up?"

"The exam would have ended here. They would not get to go any further. But you came of your own will, I'm proud of you three. Now go!"

The three smile and walk inside the exam room, only for the smiles to drop from their faces at seeing the large number of participants in the room, all of them glaring at Team 7.

Suddenly, Sasuke is grabbed from behind. "Sasuke-kun! You're late!" Sasuke groans inwardly, recognizing Ino's voice. "I haven't seen you for a while, so I've been waiting in excitement."

Sakura growls at Ino. "Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino pig!"

"Why, if it isn't Sakura. Big, ugly forehead as always."

"What did you say?"

Shikamaru walks up with Choji. "You guys are taking this stupid test too?"

Naruto grins at them. "Oh, it's the Idiot Trio!"

"Don't call us that. Man, this sucks."

"Yahoo! Found you! Well, well, everyone is assembled."

Teams 7 and 10 turn to see Team 8 walk up to them. Shikamaru sighs. "Geez, you guys too?"

Kiba grins. "I see all of this year's rookie genin are taking the exam. I wonder how far we'll get, eh Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirks. "You seem confident, Kiba."

"We did a lot of training. We won't lose to you."

"Hello again, Naruto."

The teams turn to see the Uzushio team walk up to them. Naruto grins. "Hello again!"

Sakura looks at Naruto. "You know them?"

"Yeah, I kind of bumped into them after the team meeting. Literally."

Mito smiles. "It's okay, Naruto. I'm glad I bumped into you."

Naruto is confused. "You are?"

Mito nods, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Yeah. You see, after you left, we learned something very important. Your last name is Uzumaki."

Naruto nods, still confused. "Yeah. What's that got to do with anything?"

"We never told you our last name. Naruto, our last name is Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widen, along with everyone else's.

"I am Mito Uzumaki, your twin sister." She jumps at Naruto, wrapping her arms around him, the tears finally falling from her eyes. "It's wonderful to see you, brother!"

Everyone is shocked at what they are seeing, Naruto even more so as he looks at his long-lost, twin sister's hair. "I have a sister?"

Arashi nods. "And a half-brother."

Karin smiles. "And a cousin."

Mito looks into Naruto's eyes. "And a mother. She recognized you immediately, and then went to confront the Hokage about you. We all believed you were dead for the last twelve years." The look on Mito's face turns serious. "The Hokage was the one who told her you were dead."

Naruto can't believe what he is hearing. "The Old Man? There's no way he would do that! He's been nothing but kind to me! He wouldn't keep me from my own family!"

Mito says nothing. All she does is hold up the tape recorder. "Then listen to this, and tell me I'm wrong."

Before Naruto can do so, someone else speaks up. "Hey you guys, you should be more quiet." They turn to see someone with silver hair and glasses walk up. He's wearing a Konoha headband. "You guys are rookies just out of the Academy, right? This isn't a picnic."

Sasuke glares at him. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Kabuto, and you might want to look behind you."

They all look behind them to see one of the teams glaring at them.

"Those guys behind you are from Amegakure. They have short tempers. Everyone is nervous about the exam. Quiet down before you cause a scene." The teams don't say anything. "Well, I can't blame you. You're clueless rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."

"Kabuto-san, right?" asks Sakura. "So, is this your second time?"

"Nope. My seventh time. This exam is held twice a year, so this is my fourth year."

"Wow. So you know a lot about these exams."

"That's right. Here, I'll share some info with you cute rookies with these nin-info cards."

"Nin-info cards?"

"They are basically cards which have info burned onto them with chakra. I have over four years worth of info here. Over 200 cards." He flips on over. "They look blank. To open the info on these cards..." He trails off as he starts channeling chakra.

"What are you doing?"

"You can't view them unless I use my chakra."

Something appears on the card. Sakura is amazed. "Wow, a really easy graph to read. What kind of info is this?"

"This is the number of those taking the exam and the breakdown of what country they are from."

Sasuke is curious. "Do you have cards with info on individuals?"

"There are some guys that you are worried about? Of course. The info on all of this exam's participants isn't perfect, but I do have it. I even have info on you guys. Say something about these guys and I'll take a look."

"Gaara of Suna, Rock Lee of Konoha, the entire Uzushio team, and Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha."

This surprises everyone. Why would Sasuke want to know about his own teammate?

Kabuto nods. "You know their names. This should be easy." He draws seven cards. "That's weird. This card stuck to this one. Well, we'll look at it last."

Sasuke nods. "Show me."

Kabuto reveals the first card. "Okay, first is Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys. Mission History: D Rank – 20 completed. C Rank – 12 completed. His sensei is Maito Gai. His taijutsu has improved greatly this year, but the rest is nothing impressive. Last year, he gained attention as a talented new genin, but he did not participate in the exam. Like you guys, this is his first time. His teammates are Neji Hyuga and Tenten."

He then reveals the second card. "Next is Gaara. Mission History: C Rank – 8. B Rank – 1. Wow, a B Rank as a genin. Since he's a newcomer from a foreign country, I don't have much info, but it seems he returns from all of his missions without a scratch."

This frightens everyone a bit. Kabuto reveals the third card. "Next is Mito Uzumaki. Mission History: D Rank – 25. C Rank – 15. B Rank – 1. Another genin with a B Rank. We certainly have an impressive bunch this year. Again, I don't have much info, as she's a newcomer from a new country. Her teammates are Karin Uzumaki and Arashi Uzumaki. Her sensei is..." He trails off. "Impressive. Her sensei is the Red-Hot Habanero, Kushina Uzumaki, who also happens to be her mother."

All of the Konoha ninja freeze. They had heard of the Red-Hot Habanero in school and of how they should never piss her off.

Kabuto looks at the next two cards. "There's nothing on the cards for Karin and Arashi that I haven't already told you, so we can skip them. That leaves Naruto Uzumaki." He reveals the card. "Mission History: D Rank – 15. A Rank – 1. An A Rank? This has to be faulty."

Naruto shakes his head. "Nope. My team and I really did an A Rank mission. It's a long story."

Kabuto stares at him for a few moments, before looking back at the card. "His sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Well, that explains how you guys could have survived an A Rank mission. There is nothing impressive about any of his skills, which makes me wonder why you're even in these exams. His teammates are Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."

Kabuto claps his hands. "Now then, let's look at this mystery card." He takes a look and his eyes widen. "What the? There must be something wrong with my deck."

"What's wrong?" asks Sakura.

Kabuto reveals the card. "It's another card for Naruto Uzumaki, but this one is completely different. Even the picture of Naruto looks different. Look at his eyes."

Everyone looks. The Naruto in the picture's eyes look downright evil. Mito immediately recognizes him as the second Naruto from her dreams. Kabuto clears his throat. "Mission History: D Rank – 15. A Rank – 1. His sensei is Kakashi Hatake. His teammates are Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Look at his skills! They're much higher than the ones on the previous card! There's more! He is listed as the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage! He has a twin sister, one Mito Uzumaki."

Mito nods. "Yes. I can confirm that the Fourth Hokage is our father."

This gets the attention of everyone in the room. The Konoha ninja can now see the similarities between the Uzumaki twins and the Fourth Hokage. Suddenly, there is a puff of smoke. "Quiet down, you worthless bastards!" The smoke clears to reveal a group of chunin, being led by someone wearing a black coat. "Thanks for waiting. I am Ibiki Morino, the examiner for the Chunin Exam's first test. Okay, first things first, there will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nods.

"Good. We will now start with the first test in the Chunin Exam. You will not keep your current seating arrangements. You will pick on of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."

Naruto is pissed. "What? A paper test?"

A short time later, everyone is in their seats and has a paper in front of them.

Ibiki nods. "Okay, do not turn your tests over. Listen closely to what I'm about to say." He walks over to board and picks up a piece of chalk. "There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write them on the board while I explain, but questions will not be allowed, so listen carefully. The first rule. You guys will all start off with 10 points. The test is made up of 10 questions and each one is worth a point. However, this test uses a subtraction system. Basically, if you answer all 10 questions correctly, you keep your 10 points. But, say, if you miss three questions, you lose three points and will have 7."

He writes more. "The second rule. This is a team test. Whether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of your teammates. So, each team will compete to see how many points they can hold on to from the initial team total of 30."

Sakura stand up. "Wait a second! I don't understand this initial points system either, but why is it a team test?"

"Shut up. You don't have the right to question me. There is a reason for this. Be quiet and listen."

Sakura quietly sits back down.

"Okay, and now for the most important rule. The third rule is that during the exam, anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activities, namely cheating, will have 2 points subtracted for every offense. So, there will be some who will lose all of their points during the exam and will be asked to leave."

The testing officers all sit down in different areas of the room. "We'll have our eyes on you guys."

"Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the level of chunin, be proud ninja. And now for the final rule. Those that lose all their initial points during the test and those that don't answer any questions correctly will be failed along with their two teammates."

This shocks everyone.

"The exam will last one hour. Okay, begin!"

Everyone flips over their papers and starts the test. Naruto immediately starts panicking. _'I can't fail here! I've survived through dangerous situations numerous times!'_

Sasuke notices Naruto from his seat. _'Damn, this is bad. Looks like Naruto is already freaking out.'_

Sakura also notices Naruto. _'Is Naruto going to be alright? I have to worry about myself. I need to get us points here.'_ She reads the question. _'This is a very complicated question that requires a high amount of both book smarts and experience. There's no way Naruto can answer this. Actually, almost everybody here won't be able to, though I can.'_

Sasuke finishes reading all the questions. _'Heh. I see. I can't answer a single one of these. Plus, what's with Question 10?'_

Naruto has also finished reading the questions. _'This is bad! Seriously bad! What should I do? What should I do?'_

Mito notices Naruto. _'Oh no! The stress is getting to him!'_

Sasuke glances at the testing officers. _'What's with them? It's like they assume that we will cheat. Those bastards.'_

Arashi has finished reading the questions and notices something odd. _'I know the answers to these questions! But how? I know I didn't study any of this before!'_

Sakura is thinking over the rules. _'The second rule. If they add up all the team member's scores, that means we will be ranked. How many teams will be allowed to pass through? It doesn't matter. It's not like knowing will make any difference.'_

"Um, I'd just like to know one thing." Sakura is startled and turns to see that the genin sitting next to her has stood up. "How many teams will pass this test?"

Ibiki smirks. "It's not like knowing will help you, or do you want to be disqualified?"

The genin quickly sits down. "Sorry."

Sakura nods, having listened to that. _'I thought so. If, say, only 10 of the 51 teams are allowed to pass, then you have to score a lot of points. This is a system that encourages cheating. Hopefully, Naruto and Sasuke-kun won't be foolish to try and cheat.'_ She looks at Naruto and shakes her head. _'Don't worry, Naruto isn't that stupid. I know that.'_

Sasuke is still watching the testing officers. _'All of those guys that are watching us are probably making checks on those sheets every time they catch someone cheating.'_ He then thinks back to what Ibiki said, and his eyes widen. _'Wait a second! I see, so that's it! Damn it, this isn't a test to just measure our intelligence. Hurry up and notice, Naruto. It could cost you everything, because this is also a test to see how well we can gather information with our skills. A shinobi must read underneath the underneath. _

_So, what the examiner meant was if you are going to cheat, don't do it pathetically. Do it like a proud ninja, and don't get caught. If you look at it that way,the subtraction system and the fact they let you get caught four times before failing all makes sense. So, basically, what is being tested is our ability to gather information without being caught by the testing officers and the person whose test we are cheating off. Notice this, Naruto! The smart guys will begin moving soon!'_

Over with Gaara, he glares at Kankuro, who gives a small nod. With Kiba, Akamaru is barking out the answers and Kiba, being the only one who can understand him, writes down the answers. Shino uses his bugs to get the answers. Tenten uses a mirror that she has attached to the ceiling, so that Lee can get the answers. Dosu of the Oto team uses sounds to get the answers. Neji uses his Byakugan. Sasuke uses his Sharingan. Karin is clever, like Sakura, and is able to write down the answers without cheating. This leaves Naruto and Mito, neither knowing the answers, and neither knowing how to cheat without getting caught. Unlike Naruto, Mito is being calm, trying to think of a way to get the answers.

*Scene Change*

In his cell, Dark Naruto sits in a meditative position.

"**What are you doing?"**

_'I'm going to try to use the link to help Mito and the other me. I can see the test questions through them and I know the answers. There's no way they're going to succeed without my help.'_

*Scene Change*

Naruto is still panicking, when a kunai passes right by him and stabs itself into the desk behind him, right through the test paper of another Konoha genin. The genin looks at the testing officer who threw the kunai. "What was that for?"

"You messed up five times. You fail."

"No! No way!"

"The two on his team, get out of here. Right now."

The Konoha team leaves the room.

Naruto calms himself down. _'That was close. Okay, I've decided that I'm not going to cheat.'_

"Naruto-kun." Naruto looks next to him to see Hinata looking at him. "You can look at my test."

"Huh?"

"You can look at my answers, Naruto-kun."

"Why are you willing to do that?"

She presses her fingers together and blushes. "Because I don't want you to fall here." She quickly covers up her feelings. "See, the nine of us are the only rookies. We need to work together."

"Oh, I see. I was kind of confused." _'I'm lucky I'm next to Hinata.'_ He's about to start copying Hinata's paper, when he notices one of the testing officers out of the corner of his eye. _'Hinata, you don't understand.'_

Hinata notices that Naruto isn't copying her answers. "What's wrong?"

He grins. "An incredible ninja like me doesn't need to cheat."

She looks at him in surprise. "Naruto-kun."

"If you help me cheat, you could get in trouble too." _'And if I get caught, it will cause problems for Sakura-chan and Sasuke. I can't blow it here!'_

Hinata nods. "I'm sorry. You're right."

"No problem." _'I'm an idiot! Now what am I going to do?'_ He looks at the clock. _'30 minutes have passed. Only 30 minutes left.'_

Mito also notices the clock. _'Damn it! I don't have a way to cheat! What am I going to do?'_

_'Geez, you two are so helpless.'_

Both Naruto and Mito perk up at the voice. _'What the? Who said that?'_

_'I did.'_ An image of someone with red eyes flashes in their minds. _'You know who I am, Mito.'_

Mito nods, recognizing who it is. _'Why?'_

_'Because it's in my interest for you two to succeed. I can't have you failing here. Lucky for the both of you, I have the answers to the questions. The bonus of this is that there's no way the testing officers can know you two are cheating, unless they are mind readers.'_

Naruto nods. _'I don't know who you are, but if Mito trusts you, than I will as well.'_

_'You also know who I am, Naruto. Kabuto told you about me. We'll be meeting soon.'_

Naruto scratches his head, confused at that, but shrugs and listens to the voice as he gives the answers. Over with Sakura, she has finished writing down the answers. So has Sasuke. Ino, who has been watching Sakura, notices that she has finished and uses her technique to jump into Sakura's body. Ino quickly gets to work memorizing the answers, so that she can copy them down and then take over both Shikamaru and Choji, so that they will pass as well.

As time goes on, 12 more teams fail. One of the genin who was caught stands up in anger. "Do you have proof that I cheated five times? Are you guys watching all-"

Before he can finish, he is slammed against the wall by one of the officers. "Listen, among chunin, we are the elite that were assembled to watch over this exam. We haven't missed anything you've done. You could say that this strength is our proof."

Back up front, Ibiki notices Gaara. _'What is that kid up to? Completely calm during all of this. Very impressive.'_

What Gaara is actually doing is using the Third Eye to copy off another person's test. At this moment, Kankuro raises his hand and stands up. "Excuse me."

One of the officers looks at him. "What is it?"

"I need to use the bathroom."

The officer, annoyed, puts a pair of handcuffs on Kankuro. "I have to follow you to the bathroom."

"I see." At the bathroom, Kankuro smirks. _'Those testing officers aren't very impressive. They didn't even notice that there was an extra one. Don't you think, Karasu?'_ Back in the testing room, Kankuro's puppet, disguised as a testing officer, looks up. Kankuro grins from the bathroom. _'So, start telling me the answers from question 1.'_

Back in the testing room, Ibiki looks at the clock. _'It's about that time. We've gotten rid of the trash. Let's get to the main event.'_ He stands up."Okay, we will now start with the 10th question."

Everyone looks at him, waiting. Temari looks nervous. _'Hurry up and return, Kankuro. You are supposed to pass the answers to me before the 10__th__ question.'_

"Now, before we get to the question, I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." Everyone looks at him in shock. It's at this time that Kankuro returns. Ibiki notices him. "Nice timing."

The officer who went to the bathroom with Kankuro removes the handcuffs. "Was your doll playing beneficial?"

Kankuro is shocked. _'He saw through Karasu!'_

"Go sit down."

Kankuro heads back to his seat, walking past Temari and secretly passing something to her. Ibiki watches Kankuro sit down and then clears his throat. "I'll now explain. These are the rules of desperation."

*Scene Change*

Kakashi sighs. "It sure is boring without my team."

Asuma looks at him. "Don't worry, you'll be busy again soon."

"Why is that?"

"I heard that the examiner for the first test is Ibiki Morino."

Kakashi looks at Asuma in disbelief, before sighing. "Not that sadist."

Kurenai looks at the two. "Sadist?"

Asuma nods. "Kurenai, you're a new jonin, so you probably don't know."

"Who is he?"

"A pro."

"A pro? Of what?"

Asuma lights a cigarette and takes a puff of it. "Torture and interrogation."

"Huh?"

"He's part of the Konoha Assassination Squad. He's the torture and interrogation captain. Well, there may not be physical torture while taking a test, but they must be experiencing mental suffering brought on by his interrogation skills."

*Scene Change*

"First, for the 10th question, you must decide whether you will take it or not."

Temari glares at Ibiki. "Choose? What happens if we choose not to?"

"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero. You fail, along with your two teammates."

A few of the genin start shouting out. "What does that mean?"

"Then of course we will decide to take the question!"

Ibiki just continues talking. "And now the other rule. If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly, that person will lose the right to ever take the Chunin Exams again."

Kiba snarls. "What kind of stupid rule is that? There are guys here who have taken the exam before!"

Ibiki smirks. "You guys were unlucky. This year, it's my rules. But I am giving you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next year."

Sakura is shocked. _'So, basically, if one of the three chooses not to take it, everyone fails. But if you decide to take it and get it wrong, you'll be a genin forever! Both options are bad! What a decision!'_

"Now, let's begin the 10th question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

Naruto is thinking to himself. _'What kind of question is it going to be? If I get it wrong, I'll be an eternal genin! But if I choose to avoid it, Sasuke and Sakura-chan will fail too! I don't want that either!'_

Sakura nods. _'I won't raise my hand. I have confidence that I can answer it. Even if Naruto causes us to fail, it's not like I got the question wrong, so I can try again next time.'_ She looks at Naruto. _'But Naruto, you're different. You should forget about us and think about the next chance.'_

A hand goes up, but it's not Naruto. It's the Konoha genin sitting to his left. "I won't take it! I'm sorry, Gennai, Inoho."

"Number 50, you fail! Numbers 130 and 111 also fail!"

The two mentioned genin stand up, while the genin who had quit slumps on his desk. "Damn it!"

It's at this point that other genin start quitting. Teams are failing left and right. Sakura is looking at Naruto in shock. _'Naruto, why aren't you raising your hand?'_ She thinks back over the time she's spent with Naruto during team meeting and missions. _'Always acting like a fool who only knows one thing. Hokage... Hokage. I'm sorry, Naruto. That impossible dream of yours, I don't want to see it crushed!'_ She starts to raise her hand, but seems something that shocks her.

*Scene Change*

Asuma chuckles. "Ibiki knows the human mind completely. That's what makes him scary. By attacking their mind, he can gain control over their spirit. The person's weaknesses all float to the surface. You can't escape his interrogation."

*Scene Change*

Naruto has risen his hand. All of the other rookies, plus the Uzushio team stare at him in shock.

*Scene Change*

"I have faith in them."

The three turn to look at the Uzushio jonin, who they all immediately recognize as Kushina. Asuma takes another puff of his cigarette. "You have faith?"

Kushina nods. "Yes. I have faith in my team, and in Naruto."

Kurenai and Asuma are confused as to why Kushina has faith in Naruto, but Kakashi knows. "The faith of a mother in her children. They must be lucky to have someone believe in them as much as you do."

Kurenai and Asuma are shocked at hearing Naruto is Kushina's son. Kushina nods. "Yes. I know they will be fine, because I am their mother and I believe in them."

*Scene Change*

Naruto slams his hand down on the table. "Don't underestimate me! I will not run! I'll take it! Even if I'm a genin forever, I will reach my goal of Hokage anyway, so I don't care. I'm not afraid!"

The others smile at him. Ibiki just stares at Naruto. "I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."

"I follow my unbending words. That's my ninja way."

Ibiki looks around the room again, noticing the change on their faces. _'Interesting kid. He blasted away everyone's worries. 78 left, more than I expected.'_ He looks at the other chunin. _'Stretching this any longer won't make any difference.'_ He looks back at the genin. "Good decision. Now, to everyone still remaining, I congratulate you on passing the first test!"

Everyone is silent. Finally, Sakura says something. "Wait, what do you mean? We already pass? What about the 10th question?"

Ibiki grins. "There never was such a thing, or you could say that those two choices were the 10th question."

Temari is pissed. "Then what were the first nine questions for? They were pointless then!"

"They were not pointless. They had already served their intended purpose. To test your individual information gathering ability, that was their purpose."

"Information gathering?"

"First, as the rules explained, success on the test is based on the whole team doing well. This puts pressure on each member not to mess things up for their teammates. But the questions on this test were not the types that a mere genin could answer. Because of that, I'm sure most of the people came to the same conclusion, that to score points I'll have to cheat. Basically, the premise of this test is to cheat. As cheating targets, we had two or so chunin who knew all the answers mixed into the crowd." The two chunin stand up. "But those that chose poorly, fail of course."

Ibiki reaches up and removes his headband and bandana, revealing the numerous scars on his head. "Because, in times, information is more important than life, and on missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it." Ibiki ties the headband and bandana back on. "If the enemy or 3rd party notices you, there is no guarantee the info will be accurate. I want you to remember this. Important information in your hands can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for your village. So, we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separates those that did not have the right abilities from those who did."

Temari huffs. "But I don't understand the final question."

Ibiki smiles again. "But Question 10 is the true purpose of this test."

Sakura is confused. "What do you mean?"

"Let me explain. The 10th question, the 'take it' or 'not take it' decision. Obviously, those were painful choices. Those who choose the latter, fail along with their teammates. Those who choose to take it, could lose the chance to ever take the test again. A true leap of faith.

Here, let me give you two more. Say, you guys become chunin. Your mission is to steal a secret document. The amount of ninja, their abilities, etc. is unknown to you. And of course, there could be traps set all around you. Now, do you accept, or not accept? Because you don't want to die, because you don't want your comrades hurt, can you avoid the dangerous mission? The answer is no! No matter what the danger, there are missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship. This is the ability needed to become a chunin captain.

Those that can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of 'there's always next year', and then walk away from that chance, those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices, don't have the right to become chunin! That's how I feel! Those who choose to take it answered the 10th question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You have made it through the entrance. The first test of the Chunin Exam is now finished. I wish you guys luck."

Everyone smiles, now having a new respect for Ibiki. Naruto starts cheering over getting past the first exam. However, at that moment, something comes crashing through the window and unfolds right in front of Ibiki. Ibiki sighs. "Not this one."

The object fully unfolds to reveal that it's a banner, with a woman standing in front of it. The woman looks at the genin. "You guys, this is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test, Anko Mitarashi! Now, let's go! Follow me!"

Everyone just stares at her. Ibiki slips out from behind the banner. "Bad timing."

Everyone sweatdrops, including Anko. Sakura is annoyed. _'This examiner is Naruto-ish.'_

Anko counts the number of people left. "78? Ibiki, you left 26 teams? This test was too easy this time!"

Ibiki smirks. "This time, there a lot of outstanding ones."

"Bah, that's fine. I'll at least cut them in half in the second test."

Sakura is scared. "At least in half? Cut us?"

"Ah, I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we've changed places. Follow me."

After the genin follow Anko out of the room, Ibiki goes around to collect the papers, and stops at Naruto's, curious to see how well he did. "Heh, he got them all right. Impressive. I wonder how he cheated?"

*Scene Change*

The real Kushina is walking through the streets of Konoha (the one with the other jonin is a shadow clone), searching for the entrance to the Root Facility. _'I'm coming, Naruto. Wait for me.'_

*Scene Change*

Inside the facility, Dark Naruto smirks. _'She's coming.'_

*Scene Change*

Anko leads the genin to a fenced off forest. The fence has signs on it, warning people to stay away. Everyone gulps at the forest. Anko smirks. "Welcome to the stage for the second test, Training Ground 44, also known as 'The Forest of Death'!"

**Vanex: _This is the longest chapter I've ever written. But that's because I went the extra mile here, so I could get the details and the dialogue of the first exam right. Covering the second exam will probably be almost as long, possibly longer. We'll see when I type it. See you all next time!_**


	4. Chapter 3

**Vanex: _Hello all! I know the last chapter wasn't as great as the others, but just bear with me. While not much changed in the first exam, the second and third exams, including the prelims, is where most of the changes will happen. This chapter will be the longest, as it will cover the entire second exam, among other things that I can't say for risk of spoiling. You'll see as you read._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise or Guilty Crown, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.**

"Normal Talking"

"_Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"_

"**Tailed Beast Talking"**

"_**Tailed Beast Thinking"**_

*Scene Change*

**Chapter 3**

Sakura looks up at the Forest of Death. "This is creepy."

Anko smirks. "You'll soon find out why it's call 'The Forest of Death'."

Everyone gulps.

"Now, before we start the second test, there's something I have to pass out." She holds up a stack of papers. "You must sign these agreement forms. There will be deaths in this one and if I don't have you sign these, it'll be my responsibility if you die." She passes out the papers. "I'm going to explain the second test. Then you can sign it afterwords, and then each team will check into that booth behind me. Now then, for the second test. Simply put, you will attempt the ultimate survival."

Shikamaru sighs. _'Survival. Man, this test sucks.'_

"First, I'll explain the area behind me, which the test will take place in. Around Training Ground 44, there are 44 locked gates. There's the forest, a river, and a tower that's located at the center. The distance from the gates to the tower is about 10 kilometers. During the survival, you will have to complete a certain task. Using your weapons and techniques, you will compete in a no rules, scroll battle." She holds up two scrolls. "You will fight over these two scrolls. The 'Heaven' scroll, and the 'Earth' scroll. There are 78 people here, meaning there are 26 teams. Half of the teams, 13, will get the 'Heaven' scroll. The other 13 will get the 'Earth' scroll. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."

Sakura nods. _'So 13 teams will lose their scrolls. Half the teams will definitely fail, like she said would happen.'_

"However, there is a time limit. This test will last exactly 120 hours. Exactly five days."

"Five days?" asks Ino in shock.

Choji is also shocked. "What about food?"

Anko shrugs. "You're on your own. The forest is full of food. Just watch out for the man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, poisonous plants, etc. 13 teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become longer, the time to rest will become shorter, and the area is crawling with enemies, which means you won't get much sleep. So, not only will some fail by losing their scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course. Now then, there are a few things that can disqualify you. First, those that don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, in the time limit. Second, those who lose a teammate, or have a teammate killed. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle of this. You will be in that forest for five days. One more rule, you must not look inside the scrolls until you make it into the tower."

Naruto is curious. "What happens if you do?"

Anko smirks. "There will be a nasty surprise for anyone who does. A chunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness. That's it for explanations. Exchange the three forms for a scroll. Then, choose a gate to get ready for the start. All I have left is a final word of advice: don't die."

The teams sign their forms and get a scroll. Team 7 ends up with a 'Heaven' scroll, while the Uzushio team gets an 'Earth' scroll. The teams head to different gates. Team 8 ends up at Gate 16, Team 10 at 27, Team 9 at 41, Team 7 at 12, Team Uzushio at 11, Team Oto at 20, Kabuto's team at 38 and Gaara's team at 6. At Gate 11, a Kusa team is talking to themselves. "So, first we'll go after the rookies," says one of the two men.

The female one smirks. "We're allowed to kill from here on. That makes things easier."

Anko calls out to them. "The test will start in 30 minutes! Get ready!"

During this time, Mito heads over to Team 7. "Naruto, before this test gets started, I want to finish our talk from before about the Hokage." She holds up the tape recorder. "Listen to this and tell me he is the man you believe him to be."

Naruto takes the tape recorder and presses the play button. He listens to the conversation Kushina had with Hiruzen and his eyes widen as he listens. "But, this isn't possible."

"It's a real recording. He tricked you, Naruto. He tricked everyone."

Sakura and Sasuke also heard the recording. "Naruto," asks Sakura, "what did the Hokage mean about the power of the Kyubi? Isn't the Kyubi dead?"

Naruto shakes his head. "Twelve years ago, the Fourth Hokage didn't defeat the Fox. He sealed it into a newborn infant. The infant was me."

Both Sakura's and Sasuke's eyes widen, now fully getting why the villagers treated Naruto the way they did. They look at each other and come to the same resolve. Sasuke walks up to Naruto and puts his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Dobe, I know we've never really seen eye-to-eye, but both Sakura and I believe that after these exams, you should go to Uzushio with your family."

Naruto's eyes widen. "Sasuke!"

"If you stay here, there's no telling what the Hokage, or the villagers, will do to you, and both Sakura and I will be powerless to stop them. You are our teammate and we do actually care about you, Naruto. That's why we're standing with you, here and now. I'll be honest, I'm jealous of you."

"You're jealous of me?"

"Yes. You've gotten back the one thing I want more than anything else. You got your family back. I can never get mine back. All I can do is avenge them by bringing the man who killed them to justice. That is why I fight. Trust me, you're place is not here, in Konoha, trying to become Hokage. With what we just heard about the Third Hokage, the honor of the position of Hokage has degraded. Keep aiming to become a Kage, Naruto. Maybe become the Kage of Uzushio. I'll be looking forward to hearing about Naruto Uzumaki, Uzukage of Uzushio."

Naruto nods and smiles at his teammates. "Thanks, you two."

Mito also smiles gratefully, before turning serious again. "Naruto, there's more. Remember that voice the two of us heard back in the test room? The one that helped us with the test?"

Naruto nods.

"You're not going to believe this, but that person was you."

Naruto is confused. "How could it have been me? I talked with that person."

"Tell me something, Naruto. Have you ever felt any negative emotion? Any sadness? Any anger? Any emotional pain at all?"

Naruto thinks about it. "Now that you mention it, no. Should I have?"

"Naruto, you've lived a lonely life filled with pain. Anyone going through what you did would have felt a lot of negative emotion. The reason you didn't is because you can't. Remember that second card of you and how evil he looked? That's because the other Naruto is your darker side. He is your negative emotions. Your sadness, your anger, your loneliness. That's why you haven't triggered the Power of Kings. You are two people right now."

Naruto is shocked. "But, if that's true, then where is he?"

"Mom is looking for him now. We're going to try to find a way to re-merge you two back into one person."

"Wait, re-merge us? Why would I want to merge with an evil version of me?"

"Five minutes!"

Mito looks up, having heard Anko. "We'll talk later, okay Naruto?" She quickly runs off to rejoin her team.

Konoha chunin walk up to the gates that are being used and unlock the doors.

Anko looks at a clock one last time. "The second test of the chunin exams begins now!"

The teams dash forward into the forest, as ready as they can be. Within a few minutes, a foreign team is caught in a trap and killed, screaming out as they die. Anko smirks. "Sounds like it's started."

*Scene Change*

Kushina is still trying to locate the Root Facility. "Come on! It has to be around here somewhere!"

*Scene Change*

Dark Naruto stands up. "It's time. Kurama, I'm going to need your chakra."

"**You're going to use my chakra as a beacon."**

"Exactly. Mom will recognize it immediately, due to being a previous host. I won't use much of it, otherwise everyone will notice. A small amount is all that is needed. Let's hurry. I think Danzo is on his way here."

Kurama nods as he supplies Naruto with his chakra. Naruto grins as lets it out in a small amount.

*Scene Change*

Kushina let's out a sigh. "This is ridiculous! How am I going to find it?" She then senses a familiar chakra. "Kurama! But, the chakra isn't coming from the forest, where the one Naruto is." She looks down. "It's coming from below me. I'm right above the Root facility! The entrance has to be one of the buildings surrounding me!" She looks at the buildings around her, before her eyes land a simple-looking building. Too simple-looking. She walks over to it and opens the door. The inside was bare and looked abandoned, but Kushina's ninja skills told her that all was not as it seemed with this building.

*Scene Change*

Sasuke sighs as he watches Naruto walk away to go take a piss. It's hard to believe everything he's learned at these exams: Naruto' family, the Kyubi, a second Naruto, the Hokage's corruption, etc. He wonders what else people have been lied to about. Maybe there was more to the death of his clan? He looks up as Naruto comes back.

"Man, so much came out! I feel great now!"

Sasuke immediately notices something wrong with this Naruto and quickly attacks him.

Sakura looks at him in shock. "Sasuke-kun, you didn't have to go that far."

Naruto glares at Sasuke. "What the hell are you doing?"

Sasuke just glares at Naruto. "Where's the real Naruto?"

"What are you saying?"

"Your shuriken holster is on your left side. Naruto is right handed. You're a fake loser who's horrible at transformation."

'Naruto' snarls before changing into an Ame ninja. 'You figured it out. Oh, well. Which one of you has the scroll?"

Sasuke and Sakura just glare at him.

"Then I'll just take it by force!"

But before he could do anything, he slumps to the ground, unconscious. Standing behind him is Arashi. "I hope you guys don't mind the help."

Sasuke smirks. "We'll take it, even though we don't need it."

Karin and Mito enter the clearing, with Naruto right behind them. They drag along the two teammates of the Ame nin. Naruto looks at his sister. "So, what scroll do you have?"

"'Earth'. What about you?"

"'Heaven'. We'll have to find one of each scroll."

"Make that just an 'Earth' scroll," says Karin, holding up the 'Heaven' scroll that the Ame team had.

Mito nods. "We'll help you get the scroll you need."

Sasuke looks at everyone. "What happened to Naruto could happen to any of us. We need to make a codeword, in case we get separated again. If someone gets the codeword wrong, assume they are the enemy, no matter what they look like. Listen carefully, I'll only say this once. The nin song, 'Nin-Machine'. When this is asked, answer with, 'A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared."

Everyone nods in agreement, except for Naruto. "That's impossible to remember!"

Sasuke stands up. "I'll hold onto the scroll." He walks past Naruto and looks out into the woods. "Let's go this way."

At that moment, a strong wind blows through the clearing, catching everyone off guard and sending them all flying in different directions. A figure, hidden in the shadows, smirks. _'It's finally time for me to claim you, Sasuke-kun.'_

*Scene Change*

In his cell, Dark Naruto is still concentrating when Danzo arrives. Now being just outside the cell, Danzo can sense the Kyubi chakra. "Using the demon's chakra as a beacon, Naruto? Unfortunately for you, I can't permit that." He opens the cell door and a few Root ANBU rush in and restrain Naruto. "Let's go. The Uzumaki woman will discover the entrance soon. We'll escape out the back door."

*Scene Change*

Kushina is looking around the abandoned house, when Kurama's chakra vanishes. Her eyes widen. "Oh no! Something must have happened to him! I need to find the entrance fast! She looks around again, before her eyes stop on a particular wall. She walks over to the wall, noting the picture on the wall, one of the Hokage Monument. What made it stand out was the fact this was the only wall to have anything on it and it only had one item.

She pulls the picture off the wall, and feels the space that the picture previously occupied. Her fingers press a hidden button and part of the wall slides away, revealing a staircase. Kushina grins, before heading down.

*Scene Change*

Naruto struggles against the Root ANBU as they drag him down a corridor. "Let me go!"

One of the ANBU smacks him. "Quiet down, you demon brat!"

Naruto growls as he continues to try to break free, slowing down the group as they try to escape before Kushina's arrival. Finally, one of the Root ANBU has had enough and knocks Naruto unconscious.

"Put Naruto down!"

Danzo and the Root ANBU look up to see Kushina glaring at them. Danzo smiles. "Kushina Uzumaki, what a pleasant surprise. Just what are you doing here?"

"Cut the act, Danzo. Give me back my son, now!"

"Forgive me, but I was under the impression that Naruto is in the Chunin Exams."

"Not that Naruto. The one your men are carrying."

Danzo scowls. "Sorry, but Hiruzen says otherwise. I don't know how you found out about this Naruto, but you won't get him back."

Kushina makes a handsign. Chakra chains shoot out from the walls, snaring the Root ANBU that is holding the unconscious Naruto. The ANBU is restrained, losing his grip on Naruto. Naruto falls to the ground. The chains then release the ANBU and surround Naruto, creating a small barrier. Kushina grins. "You were saying, Danzo?"

Danzo growls. "Root! Stop her!"

The Root ANBU charge at Kushina. Kushina quickly gets into her taijutsu stance. "Come and get some!"

Kushina tries her best to fight off the Root ANBU, even retracting the barrier around Naruto so she can use her chains, but more of them arrive, overwhelming and restraining her. "Damn it!"

Danzo grins. "Excellent." He walks up to Kushina, who has been forced on her knees and is glaring at Danzo. Danzo reaches up and pulls away the bandages on his face, revealing his Sharingan eye. Kushina immediately closes her eyes. "Open her eyes." Two Root force her eyes open and she is forced to look into Danzo's Sharingan. She is immediately transfixed. The Root release her and she just continues staring at Danzo's Sharingan. "Now then, I don't think Hiruzen will mind me making you one of my Root. You could also make good breeding stock." He laughs.

*Scene Change*

Sasuke gets up from where he landed. Brushing the dirt off his shirt, he looks around.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke turns to see Sakura walking towards him. Sasuke pulls out a kunai. "Sakura, stay away. The code-word. The nin song, 'Nin Machine'."

"Oh, yeah! A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared."

Sasuke nods. "Good." He lowers the kunai.

There hear a noise and turn to see Naruto emerge from the bushes. "Ow. You guys alright?"

"Naruto, wait a second! The code-word."

"Oh, I know! A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared."

Sakura breathes a sigh of relief, but Sasuke just throws his kunai at Naruto.

Naruto manages to dodge it. Sakura looks at Sasuke in shock. "Sasuke-kun, why? Naruto said the code-word."

Sasuke just glares at Naruto. "So, this time it's someone good enough to dodge my attacks."

"What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto smirks. "Impressive that you knew." He is engulfed in a puff of smoke and is revealed to be a female Kusa ninja. "How did you know that I was a fake?"

"I knew you were listening to our conversation from nearby. That's why I made the code-word like that. There's no way Naruto could remember a song that long. So, you had to be fake."

The Kusa nin pulls off her hat. "I see. Neither tired nor ill prepared, are we? This will be more fun than I thought."

*Scene Change*

Light Naruto groans as he gets up from the area he landed in. "Where are the others?" A shadow falls over him and he looks up to see a giant snake staring at him. "It's huge! I've never seen a snake so big! What is up with this forest?"

The snake suddenly attacks, ensnaring Naruto with its tail. But just before it can eat him, a kunai is thrown into its left eye. The snake drops Naruto as it hisses in pain.

"Brother!" Naruto looks up to see Mito. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, for someone who was almost eaten by a snake."

Two more kunai fly out of the woods. One strikes the snake in the right eye, while the other stabs it in its brain, dispelling it. Karin and Arashi emerge from the woods. Karin sighs. "That was close."

Mito nods. "Come on. We need to find Sasuke and Sakura."

*Scene Change*

Sakura is shocked as she stares at the Kusa nin. "It wasn't Naruto again?" _'Of course, if it had been Naruto, he'd say something like, "I forgot the code-word!"Where is Naruto? This ninja is just too creepy.'_

The Kusa nin sticks out her tongue. "You want my 'Earth' scroll, right? Since you guys have the 'Heaven' scroll." Sasuke and Sakura watch in a mix of shock and disgust as the Kusa nin shoves the scroll into her mouth and swallows it. "Now, let's begin the battle for each other's scroll with our lives on the line."

Sasuke and Sakura are overwhelmed with a vision of kunai stabbing them in the forehead. They fall to their knees. Sasuke is horrified. _'Genjutsu? No, this is just fear. The killing intent in her eyes is causing us to see an image of death. Who is this girl?'_ He turns to Sakura. "Sakura-" He freezes, seeing her crying from the killing intent. _'This is bad! We must run! Otherwise, we'll die!'_

The Kusa nin chuckles. "You can no longer move."

Sasuke struggles. _'Just a little bit! Move!'_ The Kusa nin throws some kunai at Sakura, but Sasuke stabs a kunai into his leg, allowing him to move. With his Sharingan activated, he quickly tackles Sakura, saving her life. Hidden from view, he then pulls out the kunai he stabbed himself with.

The Kusa ninja is impressed. _'To injure his own body and to erase the feelings of fear with pain, as I thought, he is no ordinary prey.'_

Sakura is worried. "Sasuke-kun, are you alri-"

Sasuke slaps his hand over her mouth, keeping her quiet. _'We must run before we are found again. But how? How can we run away?'_

Sakura is shocked at the look on Sasuke's face. _'For Sasuke-kun to panic this much. I've never seen him like this.'_ She then notices a snake appearing near Sasuke and forces his hand off of her mouth. "Sasuke-kun! Snake!"

Sasuke is pissed as both he and Sakura jump away from the snake in different directions. _'Damn it! I __was panicking so much that I didn't notice the snake!'_ The snake charges towards the frightened Sasuke. He throws some shuriken at the snake. "Get away!"

The shuriken hit the snake and it falls onto a tree branch. The two relax, but the fear returns when they see the Kusa nin rise from a hole in the dead snake. "You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment. Prey should always be trying their best to run away, in the presence of a predator that is."

Suddenly, some shuriken and kunai strike the snake, causing it to dispel, surprising everyone. "I'm sorry, Sasuke." They all look to see Naruto and the Uzushio team. "I forgot the code-word."

Sakura is happy to see Naruto. "Great job, Naruto!"

Sasuke isn't as happy, knowing that Naruto's life is now at risk, along with the Uzushio team. "Naruto! I know you think you're cool and here to save us! Forget it! Run away! This one is on a whole other level!"

The Kusa nin is amused. "Looks like you successfully defeated that giant snake, Naruto-kun. You must have had help from that Uzushio team with you."

Naruto looks at the Kusa nin. _'This girl sure looks like a snake. I see, so it was her behind that snake.'_

Sasuke is still pissed. _'With him coming to save us, doesn't really put us in a better situation. Even with the help of the Uzushio team, it doesn't matter. What to do? This is bad, all six of us will be killed. There is no other choice.'_ He stands up, deactivating his Sharingan. Everyone looks at him, surprised. Sasuke pulls out the 'Heaven' scroll. "I will give you the scroll. Please, take it and leave us."

Naruto is shocked. "What?"

So is Sakura. "Huh?"

Naruto glares at Sasuke. "Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about? Why would you give the scroll to the enemy?"

The Kusa nin smirks. "I see. That's very smart of you. The only way for prey to escape a predator, is to give the predator a different meal."

Sasuke tosses it towards the Kusa nin. "Take it!" However, Naruto intercepts it in mid-air and lands next to Sasuke. Sasuke snarls at him. "You bastard! What are you doing? Do you understand the situation?" Naruto growls and punches Sasuke. Sasuke quickly flips himself onto a nearby branch. "What was that, all of a sudden?"

Naruto glares at him. "I forgot the code-word, so I can't test it. But, you're Sasuke's fake, aren't you?"

"You total moron! I'm the real Sasuke!"

"Liar! There's no way such a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know! I don't know how strong this guy is, but what guarantee is there that he'll let us go if we give him the scroll? You're the one who is too freaked out to understand the situation!"

Sakura and Sasuke stare at Naruto in shock. The Kusa nin laughs. "Naruto-kun, you are correct. Since I can just kill you and take the scroll." She swipes some blood over a tattoo on her arm.

Naruto glares at the Kusa nin and then charges at her.

Sasuke yells out to him. "No! Run away, Naruto!"

"I've lost respect for you, Sasuke!"

The Kusa nin finishes her work. "Summoning Technique!" An even larger snake appears and smack Naruto, sending him flying. Arashi quickly catches him. The snake smack both of them, causing them to go flying. The Kusa nin grins at her snake. "Go ahead and eat them."

Naruto suddenly recovers and punches the snake. "Eat shit!" His eyes have turned red and his pupils have become slitted.

The Kusa nin is shocked. _'This kid! No way! Those eyes, there's no mistaking it! This is getting fun!'_ She quickly uses a Fire/Wind Combo to knock Naruto away. The snake then slams Naruto with its nose. "Sasuke-kun, it's your turn! What will you do?"

The snake stops in from of Sasuke, with Naruto hanging off the snake's nose. Naruto looks up at Sasuke. "Hey, you alright, you coward?

*Scene Change*

Outside the forest, Anko is alerted by three chunin about three dead bodies that were found nearby. One of the chunin looks at her. "After examining their papers and personal items, they seem to be the Kusa team who were entered into this exam, but as you can see, they have no faces. They are blank, as if they were melted off."

Anko stares at the bodies in horror, recognizing the technique. _'There's no mistaking it, this technique is his! Why is he in this exam?'_ She looks at the chunin. "Show me the pictures of these three!" She is handed the I.D. Cards of the three. "This is bad! You guys go report to the Hokage! Send some ANBU captains to the Forest of Death! I'm going after them right now!"

*Scene Change*

Danzo shuts off his Sharingan, satisfied. "Arise, Kushina."

Kushina stands up, completely under Danzo's power. "What do you require of me, Lord Danzo?"

"You will withdraw your team from the Chunin Exams. You will bring them to me, so I can gain control of them. Then, you and your team will defect from Uzushio and join Konoha. Then, you and the two female members of your team will submit yourselves for breeding stock, so we can create more powerful shinobi. Combining the genes of the Uzumaki and the Uchiha sounds like the most interesting combo."

Kushina nods. "I will carry out your will, Lord Danzo."

It's at this moment that Naruto awakens and sees what has happened. "Shit! He's controlling Mom!"

Danzo notices him. "Actually, Kushina, I have an idea to test your loyalty." A sick grin appears on his face. "Defeat Naruto. Once you have done so, restrain and rape him."

Naruto stares at him in a mix of shock, disgust, and hatred. "You sick bastard! Why would you have her do that?"

"It's the only way to be sure she is under my power. The hardest thing to overwrite is a mother's desire to protect her children. Causing not only physical, but also psychological harm to you will let me know if I have to do any more reprogramming or not of her mind." He turns to Kushina. "Obey me."

"Yes, Lord Danzo." Kushina gets into her taijustu stance. Naruto growls as he gets into his taijutsu stance. The two charge at each other.

*Scene Change*

The Kusa nin uses her tongue to snag Naruto and bring him so that he's face to face with her. Naruto snarls. "Let me go!"

The Kusa nin chuckles. "So, the Kyubi brat is still alive. When your emotions are heightened, the power of the Kyubi overflows. Very interesting. Oh, my. The seal is visible." Her fingertips start glowing. "Five Elements Seal!" She slams her hand onto Naruto's stomach, where the seal is. She then takes the 'Heaven' scroll and tosses Naruto away, who somehow quickly recovers with no signs of change.

Naruto growls at the Kusa nin. "Was that supposed to do something?"

"Impossible! You should be cut off from that chakra! How are you still using it?"

"I don't know and I don't care! You're going down!"

Sasuke watches in amazement. _'He's able to keep fighting, despite being outmatched! What am I doing, being a coward like this? Look at Naruto! He's standing up and still fighting! I won't be a coward!' _Sasuke roars, activating his Sharingan. He then uses some kunai and a windmill triple blade to trap the Kusa nin in some strings. "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!" The flames travel down the string and hit the Kusa nin.

However, the Kusa nin merely walks out of the flames. Part of her face has burned off revealing a serpent-yellow eye and pale skin around it. "To be able to use the Sharingan so well at this age. You truly are the man who carries the Uchiha blood. Just as I thought, I want you." She reaches up to her headband, removing the henge on it and revealing an Oto symbol. "I had fun testing your powers. You really are brothers. I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."

Sasuke snarls, recognizing the name. "Who are you?"

The Oto nin smirks as she sets the 'Heaven' scroll on fire. "My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then survive and pass these exams. Of course, defeating my men, the Oto trio, on the way."

Sakura looks at Orochimaru in shock. "What the hell are you talking about? We never want to see your face again!"

Orochimaru chuckles. "It won't go that way." He makes a handsign and his heads shoots from his body, his neck moving like a snake. His head shoots towards Sasuke, before being smacked away by Naruto.

"I won't let you hurt my teammates!"

Orochimaru laughs. "Getting in my way, Naruto-kun, is not a wise idea." Suddenly, more kunai and shuriken rain down at Orochimaru, who dodges them. "Shit, I forgot about the Uzushio team!" The trio jump down and they, along with Naruto, block Orochimaru's path to Sasuke. He growls. "It seems I have to retreat for now, but I will be back for you, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru sinks into the ground and vanishes.

Karin sighs. "We have major problems now."

*Scene Change*

Naruto and Kushina are locked in a taijutsu battle, neither getting an edge over the other. Naruto snarls. _'Kurama, there has to be a way to break her free of Danzo's mind control!'_

"**You can try flooding her system with a mix of your chakra and mine. It might be enough to break her free. My chakra won't harm her chakra coils, as she was a previous host of mine."**

Naruto nods. He quickly jumps back from Kushina. Kushina charges at him, and manages to restrain him with chakra chains. Naruto struggles as Kushina approaches him. She stops in front of him and Naruto notices a few things. First off, the chains aren't restraining Kurama's chakra. Secondly, a tear has dripped down from Kushina's eye. Naruto can see she's fighting the mind control and makes his move to save her. Naruto roars as he summons Kurama's chakra, breaking free of the chains. He wraps his arms around Kushina and floods her system with his and Kurama's chakra. "Break free, Mom!"

There is a flash of light. Danzo growls. "What happened?" The light fades and he sees Naruto hugging Kushina, and she's hugging him back, crying. "Damn you, Naruto Uzumaki! Root! Capture them!"

The two quickly end their hug and jump back up to face the Root ANBU. Naruto looks at Kushina. "I suggest that we get out of here."

Kushina nods. "Any ideas?"

"There's another exit. Follow me!" The two take off down the hallway, the Root ANBU right behind them.

Danzo snarls. "Do not let them escape to the outside!"

*Scene Change*

Mito sits down next to the others. "There's no sign of that guy. I think we're safe for now."

Sakura sighs. "What are we going to do without either scroll?"

Naruto grins. "Actually Sakura, we still have our 'Heaven' scroll!" He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out the scroll.

"What? But how?"

Sasuke smirks. "When I first came up with the password, I said out loud that I would carry the scroll. Then I walked by Naruto and secretly passed the scroll to him. The one that I had that was destroyed by Orochimaru was fake."

"So, we're right back where we were. We need the 'Earth' scroll."

Naruto shakes his head. "We have that, too!" He pulls out the second scroll. "On our way back here, the Uzushio team and I found a team that had been killed by the wildlife here. We managed to retrieve the scroll before it was devoured by a nasty plant. All we need to do is go to the tower!"

Sasuke nods. "We'll set out tomorrow. It's almost nightfall."

*Scene Change*

Anko is rushing through the forest. _'It's almost nightfall. I must find him quickly. Once it gets totally dark, I will be at a further disadvantage. But why is he here, at a time like this? What is his purpose here? Well, it makes no difference. If you have come to this village, then we will settle things now. You are now a handbook S-Rank ninja. I must stop you, even if it costs me my life. And if that's not possible, then I must slow you down until the ANBU arrive. I learned everything from you. I was one of your men, and thus..."_ She trails off, sensing a presence behind her. "That is my job, right Orochimaru?"

"That's impossible." Orochimaru is attached to the tree right behind Anko.

Anko turns to face him, only to see his tongue heading right for her. It wraps around her wrist, but she grabs onto it with her other hand. "You won't get away! Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" Snakes slither from her sleeves and use their teeth to grab onto Orochimaru's tongue. With their help, Anko rips Orochimaru out of the tree and pulls him right to her. She then uses a kunai to restrain her left hand and Orochimaru's right hand to the tree she has pushed him up against. "I caught you. I'm going to borrow your left hand, Orochimaru."

She uses his left hand and her right to make a handsign. Orochimaru recognizes it."This seal..."

"Yes. You and I will die. Twin Snakes Mutual Death Technique!"

"Planning to commit suicide?" Anko turns to see Orochimaru sitting on the branch of another tree. "Shadow Clone." The clone Anko is restraining disappears. Orochimaru laughs as he reaches up to the remains of the Kusa nin's face. "You are a special jonin of this village. You shouldn't be using all of those forbidden techniques I taught you."

He makes a hand sign and Anko falls to her knees as her Curse Seal sends intense pain into her body. "Why are you here?"

Orochimaru rips off the fake face, revealing his real face. "We haven't seen each other in a while, yet you're so cold, Anko."

"Have you come to assassinate the Hokage?"

"No. I don't have enough men for that, yet. I thought I'd recruit some outstanding ones from this village. I was planning on giving a particular kid one of those Curse Seals, but I was prevented from doing so. I will get him soon, though."

"How selfish. That kid's going to die."

"The chance of surviving is 1 in 10, but like you, he might not die."

"You must really like this kid."

"Jealous, are we? Are you still upset that I threw you away? Unlike you, this one is talented. He's a kid who carries the Uchiha blood after all. He's also very beautiful, a perfect vessel to be my successor. If he survives, things could get very interesting. Please, don't stop the exam prematurely. Three people from my village are also taking part. I'm going to enjoy this. If you try to end my enjoyment, believe that Konoha is finished."

Orochimaru vanishes in a puff of smoke. Anko groans as the pain from the Curse Seal continues to affect her.

*Scene Change*

Team 7 and Team Uzushio are still recovering from their battle with Orochimaru and don't notice a presence approaching them. Sasuke stands up. "I gotta go use the bathroom." He walks off into the shadows. The presence follows him. After Sasuke finishes relieving himself, he turns to head back, only to come face to face with Orochimaru. Orochimaru quickly bites Sasuke on the neck, causing a seal to appear. Sasuke screams. The scream alerts the others, but by the time they arrive, Orochimaru has already left again, and Sasuke is writhing in pain.

*Scene Change*

Kushina and Naruto are still running from the Root ANBU. "How far is this exit?"

"It's right through here!" Naruto kicks a door open and the two emerge to find themselves at the Hokage Monument. They quickly turn and slam the door shut. Kushina uses a fire technique to weld it shut. The two quickly run into the village and duck into an alleyway to catch their breath. "I hate Root so much!"

Kushina nods in agreement, before the memories of what had happened come back to her and she turns away from Naruto, ashamed. "I could have raped you."

Naruto sighs with irritation. "Oh, for Kami's sake, you were being controlled. It wasn't you're own fault. If I hated you for that, you would already know." He sighs. "Come on. Let's go find the other me. I want to become whole as soon as possible."

Kushina looks at him as she follows him out of the alley. "But I don't even know how you were split in two! Without that, there's no way I can re-merge you!"

"Then I'll tell you. It was a seal that my 'dear father' used."

Kushina stops in her tracks, not believing what she just heard. "What?"

Naruto lifts up his shirt and wills the seal to appear. "This is the seal the Fourth Hokage used. Look at it for yourself."

Kushina does and is immediately horrified. "But this seal is..."

"Yes."

Kushina sinks to her knees. "How could he? How could Minato do such a thing to you?"

"To be Konoha's weapon. The plan was to manipulate both halves of me until we were both under the Hokage's thumb. Then, we would have been re-merged. It seems the Fourth cared so much about his precious village, that he believed that turning his own son into a weapon was the right thing to do."

Kushina nods. "I'll need some time to come to terms with this, but I do know how to trigger the merging process. We'll wait until after the second exam, okay Naruto?"

Naruto nods. Kushina moves to hug him, but Naruto holds up a hand. "Don't bother."

Kushina feels hurt. "Why?"

"Wait until I'm whole. I can't feel love as I am right now, so showing me any form of love is pointless."

Kushina gives Naruto a sad look, but nods anyway. "Come on, we need to get you some sort of a disguise."

*Scene Change*

The Shadow Clone of Kushina that is with the other jonin stands up. "Listen, a friend of mine has arrived. I can sense him. Is it okay with you all if he hangs out in here with us?"

The other jonin look at each other and shrug. "Sure," says Kakashi, "why not?"

Kushina grins. "Thank you." She leaves the room and leads to the entrance of the building, where the real Kushina is walking up with a cloaked and masked figure. The clones nods to her, before dispelling. Kushina receives the memories and leads the cloaked Naruto inside. She enters the room with him. "Thanks a lot. I know this is against the rules."

Kurenai smiles. "We don't mind. So, are you going to introduce us to your friend?"

The figure nods. "My name is Sora Namaki. I'm a trader in Uzushio."

Kakashi looks up from his book. "Why don't you remove that mask and hood?"

"There was an accident a few years back that left my head horribly scarred. Trust me, you don't want to see what's under this mask and hood. Plus, I'm not comfortable with showing the scars, anyway. Only a few people have ever seen behind this mask, and Kushina here is one of them."

Kushina nods. "Let's just get back to our previous discussion, okay?"

The others nod.

*Scene Change*

Morning comes. Team 7 and Team Uzushio are all asleep, except for Sakura. She's sitting there, waiting for the others to wake up.

"Keeping watch for your friends?" Sakura turns to see the Oto team jump out of the bushes. The one who spoke, Dosu, continues. "It's no longer necessary. Wake up Sasuke-kun. We want to fight him."

Sakura pulls out a kunai. "What are you talking about? I know that someone named Orochimaru is pulling the strings from the shadows! What is his purpose?" The three Oto nin look at her in shock. "What is this weird mark on Sasuke-kun's neck? You did this to him, and now you want to fight?"

Dosu ponders. "Hmm, I wonder what that man is thinking."

Zaku grins. "But after hearing that, we can't let you go. I'll kill this girl and I'll also kill this Sasuke guy."

Sakura smirks. "One problem. None of us are really here. By now, we will have reached the tower."

She along with the others, disappears in puffs of smoke. Zaku growls. "Shadow Clones. They tricked us!"

*Scene Change*

Some time ago, Anko is stumbling through the forest after her encounter with Orochimaru. She ends up running into three giant tigers, but before they can attack her, they freeze, thanks to the two ANBU who finally arrived. "So, this is where you are, Anko."

Anko sighs. "Geez, for the ANBU, you guys sure are slow."

The ANBU laughs. "Hey, don't say that." Anko cries out in pain and falls to her knees again. The two ANBU quickly jump down to her. The one who spoke before notices the Curse Seal on Anko's neck. "The Curse Seal has reappeared? This can't be."

"Orochimaru."

"Damn. We will take you to the Hokage then."

"No, take me to the tower."

"What are you talking about? Martial Law must be implemented the moment Orochimaru appears! The exam is meaningless now!"

"I'll explain everything at the tower. Have the Hokage meet us there."

*Scene Change*

At the tower, Anko is sitting on a couch, talking to the two ANBU. "Things are getting bad, but we can't stop the exam!"

"What do you mean?" asks one of the ANBU.

A chunin runs into the room. "We've been awaiting your arrival, Anko! There is something I must report!"

"What is it? We are in the middle of an important meeting!"

"Take a quick look at this!" The Chunin holds up a video tape. The four head into a room to watch the tape and the chunin plays the video, showing the Suna team arriving at the tower. "Now here! Please take a look at the time!"

Anko is shocked. "This is..."

"This is the recording of the second test, one hour and thirty-seven minutes into it! The three shinobi from Suna have passed the second test."

"How is this possible?"

"In only 97 minutes. This has never happened before. It is very abnormal. These guys are not at a genin level, to be able to demolish the old record of 4 hours."

"That's not all."

"What do you mean?"

"From the arena entrance to the tower is about 10 km. Wild beasts, poisonous insects, rough terrain, they made it seem like it was nothing. Especially that red-haired kid."

"What about that kid?"

"Haven't you noticed. Take a look at his body."

"Oh, I see.:

"Not a single scratch. Not only that, but you can't spot any dirt on his clothes."

The chunin is amazed. _'For me, no, for any current chunin, getting to the tower unscathed is impossible.'_

One of the ANBU shrugs. "It must have something to do with his abilities. I don't like the look of his eyes, though."

*Scene Change*

The real Team 7 and Team Uzushio arrive at the tower. Sasuke is unconscious, due to the Curse Mark, and is being carried by Arashi.

Naruto freeze for a moment. "My clones dispelled. As we thought, ti was the Oto team spying on us last night. I wasn't able to get any info out of them."

Mito nods. "Let's go inside."

The two teams enter the tower, only to find an empty room. Naruto scratches his head. "There's no one here. What should we do?"

Sakura notices a plague. "Hey, look at this."

"Without heaven. What the hell does that mean?"

"Looks like it's missing words there. This is probably about the scrolls. I think they are telling us to open the scrolls."

Naruto and Sakura take the scrolls for their team, while Mito and Karin do the same for their team. At the count of three, all four of them open their scrolls at the same time. Mito's eyes widen. "It's a summoning technique! Let go of the scrolls!"

They all do so and the scrolls roll across the floor, landing next to each other. Two puffs of smoke appear and when they fade, two Konoha chunin are standing there, one of them being Iruka. Iruka smiles. "Hey, long time no see."

Naruto is confused. "Why were you summoned here, Iruka-sensei?"

"At the end of this second test, it's set up so that we chunin meet up with the exam takers. I was assigned to you guys while this guy was assigned to the Uzushio team."

The other chunin nods his head.

Iruka then notices the unconscious Sasuke. "What happened to him?"

Sakura nods. "We were attacked by someone named Orochimaru. We can't be certain it was because of him, but a strange mark was left on Sasuke-kun's neck."

Iruka and the other chunin are alarmed. "Are you certain you met Orochimaru?"

"Yes, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka nods. "Right. I'll inform the Hokage about this. In the meantime, Sasuke will be taken to a room where he can recover. The rest of you can also rest and recover. There are still a few days left before the test ends. All of you have passed. Congratulations."

*Scene Change*

In Sasuke's mind, he finds himself in a void looking at someone. "Who is it?"

The person across from him is a crying child. "Mom and Dad, didn't have to die."

Sasuke recognizes the child. "The old me?"

"In the end, if you don't have strength, you can't do anything. Because I didn't have the strength, the clan was wiped out. Everyone was killed. No." The child Sasuke looks at the older one with a manic look on his face. "You. You let them die. All you did was watch." The child reaches up to his face and starts ripping away the skin below his left eye, the eye turning into that of a serpent. "If only you had strength."

*Scene Change*

On the final day of the test, the Hokage, Izumo, Kotetsu, and Anko are in a private room in the tower. The Hokage steps back from Anko. "Now, does the Curse Seal still hurt?"

Anko shakes her head. "No. Thank you, it's much better now."

"By the way," asks Kotetsu, "Orochimaru is one of the Sannin, right? Isn't he the handbook S-Rank ninja that even the ANBU can't get close to? I had heard that he had already died."

Izumo nods. "Why would he come to this village now?"

Anko looks up. "He probably-"

"Sasuke, right?" asks the Hokage.

Anko looks at him in shock, but they are interrupted by another chunin. "Anko, we have confirmed that 24 have passed the second test. In accordance with the rules, for the first time in five years, we will start preparations for a preliminary before the third test. The second test is now complete."

The Hokage smokes his pipe. "Well, let's continue the exam as planned. We will keep our eyes on Orochimaru's movements."

Anko sighs. "Yes."

Hiruzen sighs as he thinks to himself. _'Things are getting worse and worse. Kushina somehow figured out about the second Naruto and has freed him. I can't do anything against her, as Root was "officially" dissolved and I would get in a lot of trouble with the Daimyo. Orochimaru has appeared and has given Sasuke a Curse Mark. I must figure out a way to gain control of this situation, before it can bring about the end of Konoha.'_

**Vanex: _Writing this chapter was a nightmare. I'm glad I finally finished. Well, now that Kushina has rescued the second Naruto, it is only a matter of time before the two Narutos become whole. Now, if you all excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep after putting myself through a lot of torture to get this __chapter done. Let's just say, the summer weather makes me having a desktop computer be a heck of a disadvantage. I really need a laptop. See you all next time!_**


End file.
